Tens of thousands of passengers stranded by the escalating conflict in the Middle East are slowly making their way home as airlines and governments resume limited flights.
The disruptions followed a series of strikes by the United States and Israel on Iran, which grounded thousands of flights across key hubs in the region.
Aviation analytics firm Cirium reported that out of over 36,000 scheduled flights to and from the Middle East since Saturday, more than 20,000 had been cancelled.
Airlines gradually resumed limited operations from major hubs, including Dubai and Riyadh, while governments arranged special charter flights to bring citizens back safely.
Russia’s emergency services evacuated 117 citizens, including 54 children, from Azerbaijan after they crossed into the country from Iran overland.
Similarly, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United States organised repatriation flights from countries including Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Passengers arriving home described harrowing experiences.
Max Lin, a student from Taiwan, said he learned of the conflict while riding a motorcycle on a Dubai beach during a layover.
“My flight was cancelled the night the strikes began. Everything happened so fast,” he said.
Fanny Wu, who travelled with her two children, recounted the terrifying experience of bombs going off near their hotel.
“We had never experienced anything like this, even though Taiwan has always been close to conflict,” she said.
In Paris, 18-year-old Emmy Coutelier hugged her sister after landing from the UAE.
“We felt like we were fleeing danger.
”The authorities told us to stay away from windows and head to the basement during the strikes,” she explained.
Air traffic remained heavily restricted across much of the Gulf. Cirium data shows nearly three-quarters of flights in Israel were cancelled, while Qatar and Bahrain experienced near-total grounding.
The UAE also saw more than two-thirds of flights suspended.
Israel’s Transport Minister Miri Regev announced a cautious reopening of airspace overnight Wednesday into Thursday.
The initial operations would prioritise repatriation flights for Israelis, with only one narrow-body aircraft per hour allowed in the first 24 hours.
Officials said departures for other destinations would remain suspended until further security assessments.
France confirmed additional evacuation flights would be organised, though officials warned that ongoing uncertainty and a rapidly changing security situation make the process complex.
Spanish authorities also flew 175 passengers from Abu Dhabi to Madrid, with many passengers citing exhaustion and anxiety after days of waiting.
The United States reported that over 9,000 Americans had returned from the region since Saturday, including more than 300 from Israel.
The State Department urged citizens across the Middle East, from Egypt to the Persian Gulf, to leave for their safety.
Governments and airlines continue to coordinate logistics amid the crisis, prioritising vulnerable populations and children, while monitoring security developments to ensure safe repatriation.
AFP
